Summer make-ahead food


So I’ve discovered a new favorite summer breakfast!  I found it in The Family Cooks, which is the latest adorably packaged, make-your-family-eat-better idea book.  It’s “Fresh, Fruity Summer Porridge” – basically a kind of muesli – and there’s nothing to it.  You just grate an apple in some yogurt, add some oats and layer in some fruit and something sweet (honey, say), then throw the whole thing in the fridge.  Voilà, instant porridge in the morning – cool and sweet and no fussing with the stove.  The only thing is remembering to do it the night before.

It’s funny, I think of make-ahead meals as a winter thing – think slow cookers, burbling away while everyone’s at school or the office (or plodding away at their home treadmill desk).  But summertime’s a make-ahead time too.  Mostly because you maybe don’t want to heat up the house.  Or maybe because you can’t be bothered with cooking cooking after you’ve dashed in your house and peeled off your swimsuit in the late afternoon.

Hence the appeal of cool soups, and homemade sodas, and marinades (which were among my spring resolutions, and are fast becoming a hot-weather  standby for me) – all of which have some labor up front, granted.  But by the time you settle down to eat, that’s all forgotten.

What are your summer make-aheads (and can I borrow them)?

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3 Comments

  • lsgourmet  on  June 3, 2014

    Cold soups are my favorite summer go to. Peel, seed and purée cucumbers, mix in full fat yogurt. Add in a bit of garlic, olive oil and mix well. Refrigerate overnight or even a few hours and serve with toasted, buttered pita bread for a great no fuss dinner.

  • Melanie  on  June 3, 2014

    Hi Susie, the summer porridge sounds like a variation of bircher muesli to me. I like mixing oats with apple juice, cinnamon and yoghurt before resting overnight in the fridge.

  • darcie_b  on  June 4, 2014

    I only wish I could get my husband to like cold soups or other cold entrees! He doesn't feel like he's eaten if the food isn't hot.

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